Just killed a mink in my coop

[Gray Ghost]

I was sitting eating breakfast a few minutes ago when there was a great commotion of chickens in my chicken pen attached to the coop. Looking out the window I could see something in the pen chasing chickens. I grabbed my shotgun (always kept loaded just inside the kitchen door for this very reason) and ran out to the pen / coop. Nothing was in the pen so I opened the door to the coop. There was a mink holding a chicken by its neck in the corner. Not wanting to discharge the shotgun in the small enclosed coop and not wanting to put my hands anywhere near that mink's teeth, I held down his neck withmy boot and released the chicken (apparently OK). After the mink stopped struggling hard, I kicked him out the door on to the lawn and shot him.

Chickens were pretty traumatized but all are alive and after a few minutes they came out of the coop for their daily free range exercise.

Good thing I was home, as the mink would have killed at least one chicken if I had not been there to hear the commotion.

My pen and coop are pretty predator-proof but only 2" x 4" 14 ga. wire, so small predators like weasels and minks can get in.

GG

 

[Tony K T]

Nice work,but don't be surprised if a few more show up.These little buggers kill for fun and usually will kill every bird in your coop and might eat 1 or 2.Keep your guard up!
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Good job. It is almost impossible to build a decent sized run and make it predator proof. Snakes, rats, and members of the weasel family can get in almost anywhere. And when you start to free range them, you open up a lot more access.

I use the same wire for my run. I know it is not predator-proof, just predator resistant. So far, I have found a snake and a possum in my coop.

 

[ShortCircuitRanch2332]

mink coat anyone? it might be a little holy beings its Easter tho......LMAO I couldn't resist HAPPY EASTER!

 

[Gray Ghost]

Not much left for a mink coat after a 2 oz. load of lead #2s at 20 foot range.

 

[zengrrl]

Wow - your timing was lucky, not so much for the mink. Where are you located? I didn't even think of mink but maybe they are here in MI as well.

 

[ShortCircuitRanch2332]

Quote:
hence the HOLINESS lol

 

[Gray Ghost]

Quote:
I am in Wisconsin's Door peninsula. I didn't even know we had mink here. I have seen weasels before but never a mink. I looked up mink on Wikipedia and it looks like the American Mink is pretty widely distributed across North America. It's likely you have them in Michigan too. Although I don't believe they are very dense on the ground.

 

[Gray Ghost]

So far I've lost chickens to coyotes for sure, and I also suspect my ex-roommate's dog, hawks, and foxes. In my area, I would rank the most common predators (1) coyote, (2) hawks and owls, (3) foxes, (4) raccoons, (5) possums. I would not have put the mink high on the list of predators to be most worried about, but so far the only predators I've caught in the act and killed are one coyote and one mink. Go figure.

 

[Gray Ghost]

P.S. That mink is pretty musty-smelling. Ewwww.